Article rack



March 8 1960 J. MICHAELS 3RD, ET AL 2,527,696

ARTICLE RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1955 UPPER SHELF 4 LOWER SHELF 2 UPPER SHELF /N l E N TOP JOSEPH M/CHAELS H JAMES J. HAJJAR BY 54.. W

A 7' TORNEK March 8, 1960 J. MlCH AELS 3RD., ET AL ARTICLE RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1955 UPPER SHELF LOWER SHELF UPPER SHELF 4' UPPER SHELF lNVENTORS JOSEPH M/CHAELS E JAMES J. HAJJAR EV s c x LOWER SHELF ATTORNEY United States Patent ARTICLE RACK Joseph Michaels 3d, Woodmere, and James J. Hajjar, Brooklyn,.N.Y.

Application January 26, 1955, serial No. 484,184 1 claim. (cl. 211-27) This invention relates to article racks and more particularly to article racks for supporting relatively large and bulky articles such as pieces of furniture. I

In the storage of large articles such as furniture it is particularly advantageous to group certain pieces together; for example, a sofa or studio couch and two matching upholstered arm chairs. In order to utilize floor space efiiciently, these articles usually have been stacked in a rack having an upper and lower shelf. The sofa is first-lifted and inserted from the side of the rack into the space between the lower and upper shelves and I on to the lower shelf. The remaining pieces are placed on the upper shelf. I

Since the sofa is very heavy, at least two men are re quired to lift it and the upward and sideward motion necessary to insert the sofa into the space between the lower and upper shelves produces a substantial strain on the men. To minimize the strain, the lifters tend to avoid gently lowering the sofa on to the lower shelf and, instead, pitch or drop it into position. This type of treatment causes considerable damage to the sofa in the form of torn fabric, broken legs, and generally weakened construction.

Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a furniture rack for storing articles of furniture which is very easily and quickly loaded without unduly straining the lifters.

Another object of the invention is to provide a furniture rack which may readily be loaded with a sofa :or studio couch and other pieces of furniture without damaging the furniture.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved furniture rack which is particularly adaptable to supporting matching sets of furniture such as a sofa and two upholstered arm chairs.

A more general object of the invention is to provide an improved article rack for supporting large and bulky articles.

Briefly, in accordance with the invention, a rack for storing relatively large and bulky articles is provided which comprises a lower shelf adapted to support an article such as a sofa and an upper shelf adapted to support one or more additional articles such as arm chairs. The lower and upper shelves are pivotably connected. Means are provided for positioning the upper shelf on the lower shelf after an article is loaded on the lower shelf.

A feature of the invention is guide means movably positioned on each of the shelves to guide the placement of the upper shelf on the lower shelf.

Another feature of the invention is that the guide means are adapted to permit the upper shelf to rest on either side of the lower shelf before an article is loaded on the lower shelf. I

An advantage of the invention is that an upper shelf is always used with the same lower shelf since the guide means connect them.

Another advantage of the invention is that the lower Patented Mar. 8, 1960 shelf is adapted to roll along the floor so that when the shelves are together the entire rack is movable. Further, when theshelves are separated during loading the upper shelf, which is not equipped with rollers, maintains the two shelves in one place on the door.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description which is accompanied by a drawingwherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of an article rackin accordance with an embodiment of the invention which is particularly adaptable to supporting a sofa and, two upholstered arm chairs. I

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the article rack shown in Fig. l but in open position preparatory to loading.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the inside elevation of one end of the article rack shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the guide and positioning means of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the article rack shown in Fig. l, partly in dotted line, illustratingthe operation of the guide means feature of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a furniture rack in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

For purpose of explanation the inventionwill be described inconnection with an article rackwhich is particularly useful for supporting pieces of furniture. Howmay readily support other types of articles.

Referring to Fig. l and Fig. 2, the article rack shown comprises the lower shelf 2 and the upper shelf 4. The lower shelf 2 is adaptable to supporting a sofa or studio couch (not shown) and the upper shelf 4 is adaptable to supporting two upholstered arm chairs (not shown). The rollers 6, one attached to a plate 7 near each of the lower corners of the, lower shelf 2, allow the entire rack to be moved.

The lower shelf 2 cluding the L-shaped members 10', the cylindrical members 12, the L-shaped end members 14 audio, the vertical support pieces 18 and the braces 29. Each of the vertical support pieces 18 has a hollow cylinder 19 attached.

Referring to Fig. 3, a channel 22 is provided on the lower shelf 2 comprising theend member 14 and cross member 15. The channel 22. is adapted to receive the guide roller 24 which is attached to the guide member 26. A similar channel 22 is included on the opposite end of the lower shelf 2. As will be hereinafter explained,

upon which the articles may be supported. The legs 32 I are attached to the ends of the horizontal members 40 to form a rack-like structure. The cross pieces 42, also cylindrically shaped, extend between pairs of legs 32 at the ends of the upper shelf 4 and in conjunction with the channels 44 and the braces 46 make up a unitary structure capable of supportingconsiderable weight. is shown in Fig. 3, each of the channels 44 includes a pair of L-shaped members 45.

As explained above, each of the legs 32 has a leg extension 30 which is adapted to fit into the corresponding receptacle 28 of the lower shelf 2.

Each of the channels 22 and 44 (see Figs. 2 and 3) are adapted to receive one of the rollers 24 which slidably engages the associated channel. Thus, each of the guide is a rectangnlarly-shaped frame inasaaese 3 bars 26 is terminated with a roller 24 which is movably positioned in a corresponding channel 22 or 44.

It should be noted that the guide bars 26 connect the lower shelf 2 to the upper shelf 4 so that associated shelves are kept together.

The operation of the article rack will be explained in terms of articles of furniture although it should be understood, as stated above, that the article rack may be employed to store other types of relatively bulky and heavy articles.

Initially, as shown in Fig. 2, the article rack is in an open position, with the upper shelf 4 adjacent to one side of the lower shelf 2. A sofa (not shown) is then placed on the cross members 12 of the lower shelf 2. This is usually accomplished by lifting the sofa at each end and shifting it to a position above the lower shelf 2, and then lowering it gently onto the cross members 12. It should be noted that this type of lifting does not place an undue strain on the lifters since both the raising and lowering actions are in a vertical plane.

After the sofa has been positioned on the lower shelf 2, the upper shelf 4 is raised (also see Fig. 4) and moved over the lower shelf 2 and, under the control of the guide bars 26 and the associated rollers 24 which slide in the channels 22 and 44, the leg extensions 30 are readily inserted into the receptacles 28. Thus, the quick and easy entrance of the leg extensions 30 into the receptacles 28 is facilitated.

After the upper shelf 4 is placed on the lower shelf 2 (see Fig. 1), two upholstered arm chairs (not shown) are placed on the horizontal members 40. The article rack may then be moved on the rollers 6.

It should be noted that the guide bars 26 serve at least three functions:

(1) To guide the placement of the upper shelf 4 on the lower shelf 2.

(2) To allow the upper shelf 4 to be placed on either side of the lower shelf 2. This facilitates moving the rack to the most convenient position next to the sofa prior to loading.

(3) To prevent the shelves from becoming physically separate from each other since the article rack may be stored in an open position with the leg extensions 30 holding the entire assemblage to one position on the floor as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

A relatively simpler article rack in accordance with another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 5. This article rack is similar to the rack shown in Fig. 1 except that the guide means are not included. It should be noted that corresponding parts are designated by the same reference character but with a prime designation added.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, an article rack has been provided which is particularly adaptable to supporting a number of bulky and heavy articles, such as a sofa and two upholstered arm chairs, without placing an undue strain on the lifters. Further, the article rack may be quickly and easily loaded and damage to the furniture avoided.

There will not be obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications and variations utilizing the principles set forth and realizing many or all of the objects and advantages but which do not depart essentially from the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An article support rack comprising a lower shelf of rectangular shape for supporting an article, an upper shelf of rectangular shape for supporting another article, said upper shelf being adapted for movement to either side of said lower shelf, said shelves having corresponding sides of the same length so that said upper shelf is positionable on said lower shelf, and guide means having one end pivotably positioned along one side of said upper shelf and the other end pivotably positioned along the corresponding side of said lower shelf 4 for guiding the positioning of said upper shelf on said lower shelf, said guide means being slidable to permit said upper shelf to be moved while said lower shelf is stationary.

2. An article support rack comprising a lower shelf for supporting an article, an upper shelf for supporting another article, said upper shelf being adapted for movement to either side of said lower shelf, said upper shelf being positionable on said lower shelf, and a guide bar having each end fieely movable along substantially the entire length of each of two corresponding sides of said lower and upper shelves for guiding the positioning of said upper shelf on said lower shelf, said guide bar being of sufficient length to permit said shelves to be variably positioned adjacent to each other.

3. An article support rack comprising a lower shelf adapted to support a first article, a channel associated with said lower shelf, an upper shelf adapted to support a second article, a' channel associated with said uppcr shelf, and a guide bar having a roller at each end, each of the rollers being movably associated with a corresponding one of said channels for guiding the positioning of said upper shelf on said'lower shelf, said guide bar having a length which permits the separation of said lower shelf from said upper shelf and the variably spaced positioning of said lower shelf adjacent to said upper shelf when separated.

4. An article support vrack comprising a rectangular lower shelf adapted to support a first article, a channel extendingalong one-side of said lower shelf, a rectangular upper shelf adapted to support a second article, a channel extending along a corresponding side of said upper shelf, and a guide bar having a roller at each end, each of said rollers being movably positioned to freely move in one of said channels for guiding the positioning of said upper shelf on said lower shelf, said guide bar having a length sufficient to permit said upper shelf to be moved to either side of said lower shelf to facilitate the loading and unloading of said first article on said lower shelf.

5. An article support rack comprising a rectangular lower shelf adapted to support a first article, a first pair of channels each positioned along opposite sides of said lower shelf, a rectangular upper shelf adapted to support a second article, a second pair of channels each positioned along corresponding opposite sides of said upper shelf, a set of legs for supporting said upper shelf, said set of legs being of such a length to insure that said upper shelf is always supported higher than said lower shelf, and a pair of guide means, each end of each of said guide means being slidably positioned in a corresponding channel for guiding the positioning of said upper shelf on said lower shelf, said pair of guide means permitting said upper shelf to be moved to either side of said lower shelf to facilitate the loading and unloading of said first article on said lower shelf, and roller means associated with said lower shelf to allow said shelves to be moved when said upper shelf is positioned on said lower shelf, said upper shelf and said pair of guide means preventing the separation of said shelves when said upper shelf is positioned adjacent to said lower shelf.

6. An article support rack comprising a lower shelf of rectangular shape adapted to support a first article, a channel positioned along one side of said lower shelf, an upper shelf of rectangular shape adapted to support a second article, a channel positioned along a corresponding side of said upper shelf, a set of legs for supporting said upper shelf, said set of legs being of such a length that said upper shelf is supported higher than said lower shelf at all times, a guide bar having a roller at each end, each of said rollers being movably positioned in a corresponding channel for guiding the positioning of said upper shelf on said lower shelf, said guide bar and said channels being of sufiicient length to allow said upper shelf to be positiqnedadjacept said lower shelf to facilitate the loading and unloading of said first article on said lower shelf, and roller means associated with said lower shelf to allow said shelves to be moved when said upper shelf is positioned on said lower shelf, said upper shelf and said guide bar preventing separation of said shelves when said upper shelf is positioned adjacent to said lower shelf.

7. Article support means comprising a lower shelf and an upper shelf positionable above said lower shelf, means for pivotably interconnecting said shelves whereby said upper shelf is positionable next to said lower shelf, legs independently extending from said upper shelf, said legs being of such a length to insure that said upper shelf is independently supported higher than said lower shelf when said shelves are positioned next to each other, and means for engaging said legs to said lower shelf when said upper shelf is positioned above said lower shelf.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gianini Nov. 3, Freeman June 14, Beam Oct. 7, Ford June 9, Powers July 10, Harne Oct. 2, Knight May 20, 'Pittoni Sept. 29, Aron Feb. 7, Sega] July 14,

FOREIGN PATENTS France Ian. 5, 

